The Mist
by mysticmonkey86
Summary: Sam Evans wakes up one day and realises that everything is different. He is different. And he has no way of getting back to how things used to be. #Samchel
1. Chapter 1

**Into The Mist - 1**

Sam Evans gasped as he woke up with a jolt. He had a ringing in his ears and in that small space between sleeping and being awake, he desperately tried to hold on to the dream he had just been having. But it was no use. The dream was instantly forgotten as he heard Principal Figgins voice rising across the room.

Wait...Principal Figgins?

Sam sat up straight in his chair and rubbed his eyes. He gazed around him feeling slightly shocked and a little embarrassed. He had never fallen asleep in a lesson before, he couldn't believe he had slept in front of an entire classroom. He hoped that nobody had noticed. He scanned the room from his seat at the back of the class. Luckily, nobody was paying attention to him. In fact, all of his fellow pupils looked like they were about to fall asleep at any moment as well.

Figgins was droning on about some remote part of the world and how it is prone to freak weather. Sam was pretty sure the head teacher was making the whole thing up. The usual Geography teacher was off sick so the school board had roped Figgins in through sheer desperation for the last week. Everyone had come to the conclusion that the man didn't know the first thing about…. Well, about anything really. It amazed Sam how he had been allowed to run the school.

He jumped in his seat as the piercing end of lesson bell rang. It didn't usually make him jump so much, but he figured with his little snooze he must be extra tired and sensitive to things today. The bell was so loud to him that he may as well have had his ear up against it when it went off.

He ran a hand through his hair and stood up. He frowned at his desk as he realised he didn't have any books or his bag with him. He must have left them in his locker before the lesson. He probably figured he wouldn't have had to do much work with Figgins doing the lesson so he had obviously left everything behind.

He watched the rush of pupils stampeding out of the classroom, each footstep sounding like a bomb going off in his head. He wondered what the hell was wrong with his ears today. If it carried on, he would have to have them looked at by the school nurse. He checked the wall clock for the time, smiling when he saw it was lunch. He ran to catch up with his best friend Blaine.

Sam briefly wondered why Blaine hadn't waited for him like he usually did, but then he remembered that Blaine and his boyfriend Kurt had just had a huge row and hadn't spoken for two days. Ever since then, Blaine had been in a world of his own.

Blaine and Kurt were solid. Everybody had been shocked when both boys came thundering into Glee club a few days ago and sat apart from each other. Apparently, Kurt had been texting some guy he had met in a record store and Blaine wasn't exactly thrilled about it. Sam could see both sides. He thought that maybe Blaine was over reacting a little bit, but he could also see that if he had a girlfriend who was texting another guy more than she did him, it would blow.

Sam nudged Blaine in good jest , throwing him a toothy grin.

"Hey you. Things still awkward in paradise?"

Blaine didn't even look at him as they walked down the corridor together. Sam sighed and rolled his eyes, nudging his friend again, this time with more force. Blaine frowned and touched his arm as if Sam had just stabbed him.

"Come on dude, talk to me. It's Kurt you are grumpy with, not me. You seriously need to go and make things up with him. You two fighting is like Rachel without her crazy animal sweaters. It's weird. The world feels all out of time."

The boys stopped at their lockers. Blaine let out the biggest sigh Sam had ever heard. He watched as his friend opened his locker and shoved some books in angrily. The sound of the locker being slammed shut hurt Sams ears again.

"Ouch. Take it easy Blaine. You don't want to be on record for destroying the school. It's just an argument. Things will be OK again."

Blaine stared at the locker he had just shut, his eyes cold and empty. Just for a second, Sam watched as he placed his head against the cold metal and groaned. Then he shook his head as if to get rid of all the bad thoughts swimming around and walked off, leaving Sam there on his own.

Sam grunted under his breath as he felt in his pockets for his locker keys.

If Blaine wanted to take it out on him then whatever. He had tried. All he ever did was try. If that was the type of reaction he got back then he couldn't be bothered. It wasn't his argument after all.

He frowned as he realised his pockets were empty. Where the hell were his keys? He needed them to get his lunch out.

He brought a packed lunch every day. His family wasn't exactly well off and he figured that bringing a lunch to school was less embarrassing than claiming the free school dinner. Everybody knew that if you claimed the free school dinner, you were poor.

But right now, none of it exactly mattered. He didn't have his locker keys anyway so he would have to go hungry.

He started retracing his steps back to the classroom. Maybe he dropped his keys somewhere along the way. It didn't help with the amounts of students that were walking down the corridors. He couldn't really see anything let alone a miniscule key.

When he reached the classroom again and had a quick look around the table he had been sitting at , he realised that he may as well give up.

He would just have to go without for today and get a new key at some point. Across the hall in the next classroom, Sam watched as the female teacher scraped a chair back on the floor. The pain that shot through his head at this movement was like nothing he had ever felt. He held on to his ears and groaned out in pain, kneeling down slightly as if to shield himself from whatever it was that seemed to be happening to him. He didn't feel right at all.

He had to get to the nurse. He let his hands fall at his sides and gingerly made his way to the nurses office.

The sight that greeted him when he arrived was almost enough to make him curse out loud, and he wasn't really one for cursing. The line to see the nurse was half way down the corridor but Sam knew that he couldn't risk leaving it. He felt funny, and he knew he had to get it checked out.

He stood behind a girl a few years below him. From what he could gather, she was waiting to see the nurse because she feared her heart had actually broken in two. She was telling the girl in front of her the long tale about how she had found her boyfriend of five days hugging another girl, and she was worried she might never recover from it so she wanted to know if the nurse could do anything.

Sam rolled his eyes at the teenage drama of it all and sat down, his back pressed up against the cold corridor wall. It looked like he was in for some quite some wait.

...

Sam blinked sleepily as the piercing school bell screeched through the corridor. He jumped up on to his feet, looking around him. What the hell was wrong with him today? How long had he been asleep in this corridor? He was the only one left, the place was deserted. He listened as doors opened and floods of students started rushing out from their lessons. He looked at his watch. He had been asleep all afternoon. That couldn't be right? He knew for certain now that he was feeling under the weather.

He had to go home and sleep it off, he had a busy week coming up. His football team had a big game in two nights and the Glee club were performing at sectionals the night after. He had to be feeling better if he was to perform to the best of his ability.

He hit his palm to his head as he realised the time and the day. He should be making his way to Glee club right now. But there was no way he could sit through the session, not when he was feeling this weird. He hoped Mr Schuester would understand, after all, he had never missed a session yet. There was a first time for everything.

He made his way to the choir room, feeling nervous at telling Mr Schu he couldn't join in today. He hoped he wouldn't give him a lecture about pulling together for the sake of the club and how they needed him today because he just really couldn't face it.

He was probably being a little harsh on him though, of all the teachers in the school, Mr Schu was the one most likely to understand. He was the best teacher they had and everybody, including those who weren't even in Glee club , loved him.

Sam took a deep breath and opened up the door to the choir room. Nobody was sitting in their usual chairs , they were all empty and sad looking. Instead, the group all sat in a huge circle on the floor, bowing their heads.

"Hey guys, what's going on?"

Sam frowned as nobody moved a muscle. Each of them sat just as still as statues. Sam moved closer to the circle, smiling as he realised that Blaine and Kurt were side by side and clutching hands. They must have made up this afternoon.

He was just about to go and plonk himself in the middle of the two boys…. (This was a regular thing of his, Blaine and Kurt hated Sam getting in the way which was why he did it all the time. He knew they loved him really.) …..when the group all looked up.

Rachel was sitting opposite Sam and as he stood there watching her, his heart broke a little. She was wiping her eyes. Her face was twisted in pain and grief and it made him want to hug her. He wouldn't though. Of course he wouldn't. Can you imagine what people would say?! He had already been being mocked about how close he had been getting to Rachel just recently. Everybody thought it was hysterical.

The jock and the annoying outspoken girl from Glee club who wears the worlds worst clothes were the talk of the school. To be fair, Sam actually liked Rachels clothes. He liked how she wasn't the same as the other girls in school. He liked that she didn't give a crap despite the fact that people spoke about her daily. He liked…. Well, he liked her.

He watched as her eyes looked up towards the ceiling. He could have watched her for ages yet but his eyes drifted to Blaine who had just let out an audible sob. Sam watched as Kurt clutched his hand and tried to reassure him.

"It's OK Blaine. Everything will get better, you will see. He will always be your best friend, no matter where he is now. It will all be OK."

Blaine nodded sadly and looked down at the floor again. Kurt clutched his boyfriends hand even tighter as Sams head started to spin.

…..always going to be your best friend, no matter where he is?... What the hell did that mean...?

"Not to be a dick when you are all sad but hello? I thought I was your best friend. What, am I just invisible now?!"

Sam started to laugh at his own joke, though he wasn't sure why. He wasn't finding anything very funny at the moment.

Mr Schu looked up as Sam spoke.

"Sam….. We love you."

Sam laughed again. He certainly hadn't expected Mr Schu to proclaim his love for him, all he had wanted was for Blaine to acknowledge that they were best friends and always had been.

"It's fine Mr Schu, you don't need to…."

He was cut off as the teacher started speaking again.

"Just because you aren't here with us right now, somehow…. You always will be. We have to believe that. Because if we don't…. we are going to fall apart. We have to have hope that you are watching over us. It's just… it's so unfair."

Sam jumped as Mr Schu punched the ground as hard as he could. Puck, who had been sitting next to him, grabbed the teacher in a hug to try and calm him down.

"It's OK Mr Schu. Let it all out. It hurts like hell."

Puck sniffed and his eyes were watery, which out of anything, shocked Sam the most. Puck was a rock. He had a heart of steel. Nothing ever affected him.

Sam suddenly felt like he needed to collapse. Everything was wrong. He didn't know how to handle what seemed to be happening right now. What was happening? His stomach churned as he realised he knew what was happening…. He knew it deep down. But it wasn't real. It was a dream. A nightmare. The worst nightmare he had ever had. It wasn't real.

The group stood up and walked over to the rows of empty chairs. Sam walked over with them and sat down, clutching his stomach. He knew that at any moment he was about to throw up. He could feel all the blood rushing to his head. He tried to concentrate on Mr Schu who had just walked over to the whiteboard.

Mr Schu cleared his throat and tried to regain his composure.

"Right gang, I know it's going to be hard but todays lesson is simple. I want you all, if you can, to try and sing a song in memory of Sam."

Sam stood up so quickly that he almost fell over. He looked at Mr Schu with wild eyes, fear gripping every bit of his body.

"What? What… no. No. In memory? What do you mean in memory? I'm right here Mr Schu."

Mr Schu didn't look at Sam. He gazed around the class sadly, waiting for any volunteers. Sam ran over to Mr Schu, he was going to hit him if he didn't listen. Yes, it would mean getting in serious trouble, maybe even being expelled, but it was better than people thinking he was dead, right?

He tried to grab Mr Schu's sweater vest and shake him, crying out when the teacher still took no notice. Sam pulled the material so hard that he was sure it was going to break. But still, Mr Schu didn't so much as glance at him. This was all an elaborate joke. Sam could laugh as much as the next person, but this? This wasn't funny. He bet it was all Pucks idea, but why would the whole class agree to this nonsense? This is enough to screw somebody up for life.

Life. Why did that word just bounce around his brain and stab him in the heart all at the same time?

Sam shivered and when he realised he was getting no response from Mr Schu, he did the only thing he could do. He reached his hand back and swung hard, hitting the teacher loudly across the cheek. He was going to punch him, you know like they did in the movies? But he lost his nerve mid swing and settled for a hit instead, after all…. He didn't actually want to hurt Mr Schu, he liked him.

Mr Schu jumped slightly, a frown on his face as he touched his cheek gently. Then he shook his head and turned his attention back to the class.

"Anyone? I know it's hard but it's what we do. It's how we get our feelings out. Sam would hate for us to all be sitting here like this."

Sam cried out in frustration and stood right in front of his teacher, blocking the rest of the class from his view.

"Will you stop? I'm here! Look, It's me. And you can tell Figgins that I just hit you but I don't care. I will tell him that you have conspired with the rest of Glee club to freak me the hell out. Come on Mr Schu, it's not funny anymore."

Mr Schu sighed and at last. Sam thought he was coming to his senses.

"I understand how difficult it is. How about I kick things off?"

Sam raised an eyebrow as Mr Schu walked over and took a seat at the piano. He started playing a soft tune and burst into an emotional version of Over The Rainbow. The ringing in Sams ears had started up again and he couldn't take anymore. Mr Schu seemed to care about instruments and music more than anything, so maybe if Sam started jumping up and down on the piano, he would stop it.

But he froze before he could climb on the piano and let out a huge gasp. He was staring back at his own face. A huge picture of him in a gold tinted frame was staring back at him. It was a picture from his first game as a quarterback, he had his helmet in his hands and he was grinning insanely at the camera. He always thought he looked stupid when he smiled in photos, but he didn't actually mind this one. He looked at disbelief at the candles and the few scattered flowers surrounding the picture. Mr Schu carried on singing and all Sam could think about was why hadn't he noticed this little shrine before? Any other day he would have. But this wasn't any other day. He had felt weird for hours now. Something was wrong.

He turned to face the Glee club who were all sobbing and clutching on to one another. Sam felt tears sting at the back of his eyes but he knew he had to hold it together. He turned back to the piano, unable to face his crying friends anymore. It was making him feel worse.

As he studied the picture again, his heart felt like it had just been ripped clean out of him as he noticed the little plaque at the bottom.

**"Sam Evans. Rest In Peace."**

Just underneath that were two dates. The first date was the day he was born. His birthday. The day he had come into the world. And that meant that the second date was…..no. This wasn't happening.

"I'm here guys. Why are you doing this to me? I'm here."

Sam realised he was yelling. Nobody was paying attention. Maybe if he picked up the stupid picture and smashed it, they would all start listening. He picked up the heavy frame, feeling a little bit of delight that he had managed to pick it up. See? If he was…. If he was you know what… he wouldn't be able to pick anything up. He had seen it in movies. He felt nothing but relief as he lifted the picture high and smashed it hard on the ground. It shattered into a million pieces and Sam looked at his friends triumphantly. The triumph soon faded when he realised nobody had noticed.

He looked at the broken picture on the floor then back at his friends in disbelief. How were they ignoring this? What the hell were they all playing at?

Maybe he should get one of the candles and set the place on fire. That is how angry he felt right now. He didn't want to hurt anyone but he needed to do something to break them all out of this trance they seemed to be in. But as he reached for a candle, he cried out.

There, in the middle of the candles and flowers, was his picture. His picture that was unbroken and magnificent, glowing in all its un-shattered glory. Sam gulped and shook his head, looking down at the floor where the broken picture still lay at his feet.

He carefully picked up a lit candle and threw it at the door. He watched as it landed on its wick, blackening the flame immediately. But when he looked back at the piano, the candle he had just thrown was sitting there, its light prettily dancing, tormenting him.

Mr Schu finished his song , stood up, and looked at everyone , a single tear openly falling down his cheek.

"Who's next?"

Sam shook his head again, putting his hand over his mouth to keep him from screaming out.

With shaking legs he made his way over to the door, and even though he opened it and walked out, closing it behind him, the door had remained shut the whole time.

Sam held onto the harsh white corridor wall for support, but when he realised it was offering no help at all, he shouted out in anger and collapsed.

He put his head in his hands while his body started trembling all over. He felt like he was going to throw up, but he knew that he wouldn't. There was nothing to throw up.

Somewhere in the building, a chair scraped noisily against the floor, making his ears throb with pain.

He curled up into as small a ball as he could on the corridor floor . The trembling had turned into an uncontrollable shiver now, and as Sams teeth chattered together through cold, he managed to utter two words.

"I'm dead."


	2. Chapter 2

**Into The Mist – 2**

Sam didn't know how long he had been a trembling mess on the corridor floor. Time didn't seem to matter much right now. He wasn't alive. What did time matter when he was dead? He kept saying the word as his body shook.

"Dead."

He tried the word out many times, but it just felt alien to him. He somehow knew that he was and yet…. It didn't feel real. If he was dead then why did it hurt so much? If he was dead then why could he feel everything? If he was no longer alive then why on earth would he choose to come to school?

He tried desperately to remember how he had come to be at the school, but it just made him groan in frustration. It seemed like he couldn't remember anything before waking up in that classroom to Principal Figgins voice. He could remember certain things. He could remember that Blaine and Kurt had that argument a few days ago, he remembered Brittany weirdly being discovered as a genius in last weeks assembly and he remembered how close him and Rachel had been getting the last few weeks. But when he tried to remember just how he had come to be in that classroom or how he had… had died…. He had nothing. Everything was blank.

It had been at least two hours since the Glee club had all filed out of the choir room. All of them in different states of mourning. Blaine was still openly crying while Kurt, even though upset himself, had taken it upon himself to be the strong one. Kitty , Marley and Unique were all dramatically sobbing. Sam thought that was a little over the top as they had barely paid any attention to him when he was….. he gulped as he thought the words to himself…. When he was alive. Mr Schu was quiet and subdued , dark circles under his usually bright eyes. Puck , Artie and Mike had all tried to shake off their cries in a manly way, but everyone knew they were upset. Tina, Mercedes and Quinn were all devastated. The kind of crumbling grief that Sam knew was real. It wasn't for effect like the other girls , this was real, a raw sadness for him. And then there was Rachel. He studied her as she walked out behind the others. She had her head held high, her huge brown eyes glistening with tears. She was biting on her lip and as she walked by, he heard her sniff. She looked like she was trying desperately hard to keep it all in, and he wanted to tell that it was OK . He wanted her to cry for him. Was that bad? Did that make him a terrible person?

Of course, Sam knew where he should be right now. But the pain was unbearable. Seeing his friends that sad for him was awful, it had near enough ripped his heart out. And he knew that going home, going to where his Mom would be broken, his Dad a mess and his siblings inconsolable…. How would he handle that? Usually, when somebody died in a movie or TV show, they hung around as a ghost because of unfinished business or whatever. But he didn't want that. He had no unfinished business. The thought of seeing his family distraught was more than he could take.

He stood up shakily, leaning against the wall for support.

"You can take me now. You can take me wherever it is I'm supposed to be going. I can't be here anymore."

Sam looked up and down the empty corridor. His voice had sounded hollow. But was that because he was dead or because he was in an empty school. How could you be sure of anything when you had just found out you were no longer alive?

"Did you hear me? I said you can take me."

He was yelling now. He felt tears burn the back of his eyes and he ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm not going to do this. I'm not watching my family crumble. I'm already dead, surely I am allowed a get out of jail free card?"

He waited as if genuinely expecting an answer. He wanted an answer. He wanted somebody to tell him what to do now.

When no answer came, he started walking down the deserted corridor, each step like a thunder clap hammering through the empty school. When he got to the door, he wondered if he could just walk through it like they did in the movies. After all, there had to be some perks to being dead.

He took a deep breath, well, he took a deep breath for a dead guy anyway…. And slammed himself into the door, wincing in pain as his body shot back and he fell on the ground. He rubbed his head as he stood up, regretting even trying to walk through a closed door. This wasn't a movie. This was his reality. This was what was happening now and even if he could walk through the damn door, it didn't take away the fact he was dead.

He pulled the handle on the door and pushed it open just like a normal person would. He tried not shudder as he walked through it, knowing for a fact that to anyone watching, the door he had just opened and closed had stayed shut. It was an eery feeling. He was also quite concerned that it was night-time and the school had been left unlocked but he shrugged. He couldn't exactly do much about it.

Sam started walking automatically. It was a weird feeling. He didn't want to be heading where he was, but he knew if he didn't then he would be stuck here. If he said goodbye to his family, he knew that he would be beamed up just like in that film. How did you begin to say goodbye to the woman who had raised you? How did you bid farewell to the man who made a man out of you? How could he take one last look at his younger siblings and walk away?

He had never really given death much thought, but now he was here, now he was ironically living out death, he hated it. Wasn't death cruel enough without all this heartbreak? Wouldn't it be much simpler if when you died you just… well, died?

And that was something that was really bugging him. How had he died? A car accident? An unknown illness? A sudden heart attack? A murder? Had he been murdered by some crazy person? If it was something gruesome like that, wouldn't he be covered in blood and stuff?

Funny how a person could be dead and yet Sams heart was thumping wildly in his chest as he turned down the familiar street in which he lived. How could a heart still beat if it had already stopped beating? He had that sick feeling again. He wanted to throw up but knew that he wouldn't, that he couldn't. He didn't know much about what he was going through right now, but he somehow knew that he would never eat or drink again. He would never be sick, he would never need to pee and he wouldn't break any bones. He didn't know how he knew that, he just did. He wasn't thirsty, he wasn't hungry. He wasn't anything and yet here he was, a something.

Whoever, or whatever he was right now, he did feel exhaustion. And as it had been proved earlier, he could sleep. Although he didn't know if it were sleep or blackouts he had been experiencing. How could anyone tell in that situation?

All the houses in the street were sleeping. Sam could tell because the lights were off. His neighbours were definitely predictable. You could usually bank that the whole street would be asleep by no later than eleven. But there was one house, one house in all the darkness whos lights still glowed. And that was another ironic thing about death. Here was a house, his own, his parents and siblings house, that by rights, should be blacked out. It should be dark and sad because a tragedy had just fallen upon them. And yet….. there it was, amber and yellow glared from pretty much every window in the building. Everyone inside too emotional to sleep. Too sad to sleep. It was torture for Sam, seeing his house so alive in the arms of death. He took one more step forward before realising he couldn't do it.

He turned on his heel and ran. He didn't know where he was running too, he just ran. He had to put as much distance between himself and the house as possible. It was only when he stopped running that he realised where he was. He had unknowingly ran straight to Rachel Berry's house. He glanced up and noticed her bedroom light was still on. He knew it was her bedroom as him and the whole Glee club had been to her house many times.

And, he had to admit that in the two weeks before his death, he had been here…. Alone… with Rachel. They hadn't done anything except talk. He found her fascinating. He didn't mind how much she vented about animal rights and Broadway closures. She was passionate and he loved that about her.

He scanned the house, noting that all the other lights were off. His shoulders slumped as he suddenly felt weary and he started climbing the tree that led straight on to Rachel's balcony. He questioned whether it was the right thing to do, especially when he reached the top and saw that her curtains were wide open. He could see straight into her room and although he intended to look away, his eyes fixed on her as she lay in a crumpled heap on her bed. Her body was turned towards the balcony and he could see her face crushed with sorrow. She was sobbing and Sam felt like he had just had the wind knocked out of him. He couldn't turn away. He knew he should have, but he couldn't. He was intruding on her grief. On her.

He jumped as she leapt off her bed, wiped her tears from her face and marched over to the window, opening it wide and stepping out on the balcony. She shivered slightly in the cold night air and Sam frowned. She was only wearing a strap top and shorts, obviously her bed clothes. He reached out to touch her, then backed away.

She gripped on to the railing and looked up to the sky. As her arms lit up in the silver moon glow, Sam noticed she had goose bumps all over her skin. He sighed and stood by her side, holding on to the railing just inches away from her. He watched as she searched the sky. Was she looking for him? Was she wondering if he was up there? He always did that, when he was alive. He used to look up at the stars and wonder if one of them were his Grandpa.

Rachel shivered again and Sam stepped closer to her, hoping that his body would somehow keep her warm the closer he was.  
>He smiled at her fondly.<p>

"Trust you Rach. You have what? A thousand ugly animal sweaters in that massive closet of yours and when you actually need one, you forget to put one on."

He chuckled gently. He found that amazing, how he could chuckle at the smallest thing when he was ….. well, not here anymore.

Sam Evans no longer existed. Sam Evans has been and gone. His breath caught as once again, the realisation hit him.

Rachel sniffed and took a deep breath.

"I miss you Sam."

Her voice was barely a whisper as her hair fluttered in the breeze. In this light, at this moment…. She looked beautiful. Sam wanted to kick himself. Why had he not realised how deep his feelings were before now? Before it was too late?

"I miss you so much. I wanted to tell you…. I should have told you…"

She paused and bit her lip to stop another onslaught of tears. Sam stepped even closer to her, their arms almost touching.

"What? Told me what?"

His voice was gentle. He didn't want to alarm her. Not that it mattered. To her, he wasn't here. It didn't matter if he yelled in her ear, she wouldn't see or hear him.

"It's too late. You're gone. You left me."

She wiped a falling tear from her cheek and turned. For a second, she looked directly at Sam, and a shudder went through him at the possibility that she could maybe see him. But of course, she couldn't. She walked back through into her bedroom, left the window slightly open and went to draw her curtains. But something made her stop just as she was about to pull them shut. She looked out at the balcony again as if searching for something, then walked away leaving the curtains open, turned out the light and climbed into bed. Sam collapsed on the little cushioned wicker chair she kept in the corner of her balcony and felt every bone in his body ache. Did he even have bones anymore? He didn't know. All he knew was that he was tired.

He rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"I hope you don't mind Rach, but I don't want to be alone tonight. I promise I won't get in your way. I just…. I need to be here. I feel safe here. I feel safe with you. Can I stay?"

He settled down into the chair, trying to get comfortable. He didn't feel cold, or hot. He didn't feel anything other than tired. He was just about to close his eyes when his ears, still as sensitive as they were earlier when the school bell was ringing, heard Rachel's soft voice from within her bedroom.

"Goodnight Sam."

His heart fluttered a little, he felt strangely content that she was thinking of him.

In a matter of seconds, he was fast asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

The Mist - 3

Sam blinked sleepily as the bright morning sunshine woke him up. He had been sleeping peacefully all night. A dreamless, serene sleep. He jumped up from the chair he had been on all night as that dreaded realisation washed over him ….. he wasn't alive.

Every time the thought came into his head, it hurt worse each time. This couldn't be real. He refused to believe it. If he was dead, then he wouldn't wake up again. Death should be sleeping peacefully, just like he did last night.

He looked around him, remembering that he had spent the night on Rachel's balcony. Her curtains were still open just as she had left them last night and he peered into her room, his eyes immediately looking at the clock.

He didn't have to look for long, as the clock started beeping loudly, each beep ringing in Sams ears. This was certainly one thing he didn't enjoy about being dead, every single noise and movement was ten times louder in his sensitive ears. Not that he enjoyed anything about being dead of course.

He watched as Rachel stirred, groaned in protest and shut off her alarm. She had always gotten up at the crack of dawn, the Glee club always poked fun of her for being such an early riser. It was only six thirty. Sam had always been the type to just roll out of bed about ten minutes before he had to leave, grab a quick shower and go. But not Rachel, she was always one step ahead of everyone. He loved that about her.

She got out of bed, looking like she had just turned up for a photo shoot. How could anyone look that good after sleeping all night? He was still watching her as she pulled at the waistband of her PJ's and Sam realised just in time what she was doing. It was creepy enough that he was here without her knowing, that they had in a way slept together last night…. There was no way he would disrespect her by watching her get changed. He turned away and started making his way back down the easily climbable tree that had led him to her balcony in the first place.

He hovered at the bottom of the tree, debating what to do now. He refused to even think about home. The pain each time he thought of his family, his family he loved so much, was only getting worse. He definitely wasn't strong enough to face them just yet. He still kept hoping that he would vanish, just disappear into some ghosty world so he never had to deal with pain or emotions again, but right now…. He was here. And he knew he couldn't go back home.

Just as he was deciding what to do, he heard a shower turn on above him. Rachel. It was amazing to him that he could hear everything so clear, see everything so clear. Right now, he could see every vein and tiny detail on a small leaf at the bottom of Rachel's driveway. The world really was a beautiful place. A beautiful place that he was no longer a part of.

He sat down under the tree he had just climbed, listening to Rachel softly humming as she took a shower. He couldn't figure out what the tune was, but she sounded sad. He felt like an awful person. He hated her being sad and yet…. He was relieved she was. That meant that she cared about him. And he cared about her. But she would never know.

He closed his eyes as he carried on listening, what was it about girls and taking long showers or baths? She was in there for at least half an hour, humming that sad tune the whole time. After a while, he heard the hairdryer going and her Dads downstairs making breakfast. It was amazing how even though he could smell the bacon and waffles, he wasn't hungry. He knew that he would never eat or drink again. It was just one of the many weird things he had to get his head around.

He listened as Rachel sat with her Dads while they tried to get her to eat some breakfast which she declined. Sam frowned about that, she had to eat. He didn't want to be responsible for her becoming ill and weak. After ten minutes, Sam heard her chair scrape back as she told her Dads she was going out and before he could even scramble up from where he was perched at the tree, she had marched outside, slamming the front door shut.

It was only when he saw her walking to her car with no bags or books that he realised it must be Saturday. No school. He felt a rush of disappointment at that. He had planned on hanging out at the school. He still didn't want to go home and face his family, so being around his friends would have been a distraction for a little while at least.

He quickly caught up with Rachel and clambered in the backseat of her car. He felt slightly guilty. If he was still alive, he would probably get arrested for following an innocent girl around everywhere. But he couldn't think about the what ifs. He wasn't alive and he had nothing to do, nowhere else to go. So he pushed his guilt to the side and breathed in the scent of Rachel as she climbed in the car and started the engine. She always smelt of vanilla and it made him feel comfortable. If she ever changed, if she ever suddenly started smelling of honey or chocolate, he wouldn't be OK with that. He chuckled to himself, finding it highly amusing that even as a ghost, he was worried about stupid stuff like that.

Just before Rachel drove out of the driveway, she turned her head round and stared right at him. It was only for a second, but it was if she could feel something, sense something. Just like last night out on her balcony when it had almost seemed like she had seen him. Sam shivered as she shrugged her shoulders and turned back to face the road.

Sam leant forward and watched her as she drove. She was concentrating but she was also lost. She was trapped inside her own head and she looked like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders.

"Where are we going Rach?"

He spoke gently, his head next to her shoulder. He could have sworn she jumped the tiniest bit when he spoke, but then he realised it must all be in his head. She couldn't hear him. Nobody could. Sam sat back anyhow, he didn't want to put her off her driving.

He watched the streets whizz by, feeling a pang of sadness with each house he recognised. Every house held a friend or somebody that meant something to him who would never see him again. So far, being dead was a lonely business. He was so busy sinking into a world of self pity that it took him longer than it should have to realise exactly where they were when the car stopped. Rachel shut the engine off and rested her head against the steering wheel while Sams heart rate sped up as he shook his head wildly.

"No. Not here Rach. Anywhere but here."

The back of his eyes burned with tears as he stared at the house in front of him. His house. The house he had ran away from just last night.

He tried to steady his breathing, it felt like he was…. well…. dying. He couldn't get enough air into his lungs and all he could do was stare in horror as Rachel got out of the car. He scrambled out quickly after her. He didn't want to, but he also didn't want to stay in the car. He didn't know what to do.

He walked beside her as she marched up to his house and knocked three times on the familiar wooden door. Sam shook his head as he heard Rachel sniff beside him and take a deep breath. He could tell she was nervous but it was nothing compared to the way he was feeling right now. What was she doing here?

Sam automatically took a step back as the door opened. He gasped as his Mom, looking fragile and tired, pulled Rachel into her arms. It hit him harder than he had even dreamed it would. His Mom wasn't just any lady, she was the toughest, kindest and bravest person he knew. So seeing her here, so obviously broken, felt like a knife being twisted in his stomach.

He watched his Mom step back from Rachel and tried to smile. It didn't work.

"So lovely of you to drop by Rachel, please come in."

Rachel nodded and followed his Mom inside. Sam had no choice but to follow, trying desperately not to cry as he breathed in the smell of home. The three of them walked into the front room. Sam shuddered at the cards littering every mantel piece and window sill. Every card for him. People, family, friends, and even strangers, all offering their sympathy to the tragedy of a young life gone too soon. He couldn't bring himself to look at the bunches of fading white flowers. It all seemed so morbid. It was morbid. He was dead after all.

Rachel sat on the sofa as his Mom sat in Sams favourite chair opposite. He decided to sit next to Rachel, while he tried to steady his tears and keep his breathing calm.

"Can I offer you a drink or…. ?"

His Mom trailed off as Rachel shook her head.

"No thanks. I just…. I came to tell you about a party that the guys at school wanted to throw in Sams honour. I didn't want to let anything go ahead without you knowing first."

Sam raised an eyebrow at this new piece of information. A party for him? It sucked that nobody would know he would be there. He watched his Mom smile, a genuine one this time but a sad one all the same.

"That is very sweet of you Rachel. Thank you. Sams Dad went back to work today and I sent his brother and sister to their aunties. They needed to get out of here, away from all the sadness. It's not doing any of us any good. I will be sure to let them know about the party. Tell the boys they have our blessing to do that. He…. Sam….. would have loved it."

A sad silence engulfed the room and Sam caught Rachel glancing at his cards. For some absurd reason, it embarrassed him. It bothered him. He couldn't pinpoint why it bothered him but he guessed it was something to do with him being dead. Everything came back to that. He would be worried if it didn't bother him.

After a while, Rachel sniffed and pulled her gaze away from the sad cards. She smiled softly at his Mom.

"Is there anything I can do for you Mrs Evans? Do you need help with the children? Do you need food, or any help with the house?"

The offer from Rachel was so genuine and heartfelt that it brought a lump to Sams throat. She was so caring. He only wished he had got to spend more time with her.

His Mom sighed deeply and tried, but failed yet again to smile.

"That is very kind of you sweetheart. At the moment, I honestly have no idea if I need help or not. Everything is still so…. so raw." She fumbled for a well used tissue from her pocket and dabbed at her eyes. Sam put his head in his hands, unable to watch the grief. "If anything comes to mind, at least I know you are here to help. I appreciate that Rachel."

Rachel nodded meekly and set off by his Moms tears, she brushed one of her own aside and took a shaky breath.

"I can't imagine what you are going through. I…. I don't mean to come across as selfish but I miss him. I miss him so much it hurts and I was just a … well, just a friend. You were his Mom. You are his Mom. And your heart must be breaking ten times worse than mine and I just can't even imagine how that must feel."

A sob escaped his Moms lips. She stood up, walked over to the nearby cabinet, retrieved an envelope and sat back down again, looking at Rachel with glistening eyes.

"I uh…. I thought you should know we had the results back. We have an answer now so I guess…. I guess that is something."

Sam looked up at this news, feeling sick as Rachel took the envelope. So his death had been unexplained? And the answers were in that envelope. That one piece of paper held the reason he died. And he knew in that moment he couldn't face it. Rachel stared at the writing on the envelope, her breathing shaky and unsteady.

She hesitated before starting to undo the already opened packet. Sam shook his head and stood up. He rushed over to his Mom and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"I'm sorry Mom. I don't want to know. I'm not ready to know. I love you. I love you so much. I will be back soon if I can. You need to eat and sleep. You need to look after yourself."

He flinched as he heard the rustling of paper and knew that he needed to get out of the house before the answer was revealed.

He ran outside and down to the bottom of his driveway , collapsing under a tree. He suddenly remembered how extra sensitive his hearing had been since he had died so he stuck his fingers in his ears for good measure and started humming a loud tune.

All he knew in that moment was that he wasn't ready for this. He wasn't ready for any of it. He wanted to live. And if he couldn't live then he wanted to die. But really die. Instead he was stuck here, being tortured by the grief of his loved ones and his own sadness.

There was no way out.


End file.
